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By Lynn Norusis, Stefanie Gans, Rachael Keeney and Michael Balderston
NoVA vs. Napa wines
Despite living in California for two years, I never managed to get myself up to Napa Valley (not easy when you’re making entry-level, independent contractor money). As fortune would have it, I can get my first taste of the famed wine region without heading back out West by visiting The Winery at Bull Run this weekend. I’ll get to whet my palette with five Napa wines, while also comparing how our local petit verdot stacks up. –MB // The Winery at Bull Run: 15950 Lee Highway, Centreville
Apples, Honey, and Black-Eyed Peas: The Culinary Customs of Rosh Hashanah
My dad and I spend weeks preparing menus for all the big holidays, Rosh Hashanah included. A talk about the meanings behind fish heads, pomegranates, beets and their table mates is being hosted this Thursday, giving plenty of time to plan for the September new year dinner. –SG // Temple Rodef Shalom: 2100 Westmoreland St., Falls Church
No art is bad
This is what I told my kids when they were younger, and this is what I tell myself when I attempt to go about a self-made work of art for my home. I will be in good company at Bad Art Night II as adults gather to do their best attempts at creating their own masterpieces, all judgments aside. –LN // Columbia Pike Library: 816 S. Walter Reed Drive, Arlington
Revisiting my Ag roots
While I was a student at the University of Maryland, I spent some time working at the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, writing about what students, faculty and alumni were studying, researching and discovering about the industry that so largely impacts our survival. I remain fascinated by all the hard work that goes into sustaining us, and this week will be celebrating it at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair. Those that know me are familiar with the fact that I love an opportunity to learn about local history, so this fair being the first of its kind in the country—founded in 1738—makes this event even more exciting. –RK // Fredericksburg Fairgrounds: 2400 Airport Ave., Fredericksburg